Robots at the Airport
This week, I flew from Seattle (where I live) to San Francisco to meet some friends who were there for Game Developer Conference (GDC). Among them was Dr. Steel, who I have written about previously. While there, I also did some work at my company, which has an office in the Bay Area.
It was a good trip, but what’s on my mind is what happened at the airport both in Seattle and in San Francisco. I have been flying for decades(!) and I remember what used to be the process for checking your bag: You’d bring your bag to the counter. The airline representative would verify your ID, tag your bag, and put it on a conveyor belt where it would disappear into the wall.
Then recently, maybe a few years ago, the airlines changed the process so that I now print the tag for my bag at a kiosk and I tag the bag myself. Then I take the tagged bag to the counter. The airline rep verifies my ID and puts the bag on that magic conveyor.
But on this most-recent trip, there had been another evolution: Basically, I am on my own. After I tag my bag, I go to a station. This is where they have the conveyor now. I put the bag on the conveyor belt–which is stationary. A robot camera scans the tag on the bag; the conveyor starts up and takes the bag away.
They now have me doing all the work, which is a little strange because I thought the robots were supposed to relieve us of manual labor–or something like that.
Published: Sat 22 Mar 2025
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